22 November 2019
Friday fold: Noonday Dolomite in Mosaic Canyon
Posted by Callan Bentley
Because I’m putting together a field course for spring break 2020 to Death Valley California, I was looking through old Death Valley photos this week, from the last time I went to that special place. It was seven years ago! How time flies…
This one is in Mosaic Canyon, and was taken by my student Marcelo Arispe, a talented photographer as well as a talented geologist:
By the standards of this place, that’s a very large fold. The rock unit being folded is the Noonday Dolomite, a Neoproterozoic carbonate unit that exhibits gorgeous ductile deformation in Mosaic Canyon. The canyon offers a suite of folds on almost all scales and styles to bedazzle the geologically-inclined visitor. Previous Friday folds from Mosaic Canyon can be seen here and here and here and here.
Be well. Have a fine weekend!
Callan Bentley is Associate Professor of Geology at Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America. For his work on this blog, the National Association of Geoscience Teachers recognized him with the James Shea Award. He has also won the Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council on Higher Education in Virginia, and the Biggs Award for Excellence in Geoscience Teaching from the Geoscience Education Division of the Geological Society of America. In previous years, Callan served as a contributing editor at EARTH magazine, President of the Geological Society of Washington and President the Geo2YC division of NAGT.
FIELD COURSE?! DEATH VALLEY?! PUT ON BY CALLAN?!
How does a civil/geotechnical engineer from Canada, who considers himself an illiterate (thinking very highly of myself!!!) geologist at best, get in on this?!!? 😉
I hope all who attend recognize how fortunate they are!
Enrollment is open to all – but everyone who participates has to be officially enrolled as a NOVA student.
Bummer. I remember my four day geology field trip there (and the Whites) as a freshman at UCLA, taught by Clemens Nelson. I am sure your class will be as remarkable.
That was in the Spring of 1974.